Posted tagged ‘redemption’

After a little while of silence on the US front for new releases, we have word via BemaniStyle.com that Konami is testing out a new, redemption version of their Pop N’ Music series in the US. Eddie Lecheka, editor of BemaniStyle had a chance to check the game out where he gives a complete rundown of the features in place, along with some video. I will just link to one video and you can check the rest out on the link below, but what are your thoughts of bemani gaming making a comeback in the US via the redemption route? I know that is certainly not something that hardcore players will look forward to but it certainly is a smart way to get younger and more casual audiences hooked on the type of game that it is.

After a little while of silence on the US front for new releases, we have word via BemaniStyle.com that Konami is testing out a new, redemption version of their Pop N’ Music series in the US. Eddie Lecheka, editor of BemaniStyle had a chance to check the game out where he gives a complete rundown of the features in place, along with some video. I will just link to one video and you can check the rest out on the link below, but what are your thoughts of bemani gaming making a comeback in the US via the redemption route? I know that is certainly not something that hardcore players will look forward to but it certainly is a smart way to get younger and more casual audiences hooked on the type of game that it is.

And now for a great “WTH?” moment to start our week off. Arcades such as Dave & Busters and others who operate coin-pushing machines in the US state of Kansas have been forced to remove those machines from their locations as the state recently passed a law declaring such popular games as illegal gambling devices. We don’t follow redemption very often here but when it comes to games that can make tons of money for any arcade location, coin pushers are usually at the top of the list. This is also why such machines generally cost quite a bit to purchase in the first place, as they are guaranteed to make a lot of money. I personally don’t see the appeal behind them but having worked for an arcade in the past where we had several pushers, the earnings were always solid. Of course there are certain redemption games that blur the line between a gambling device and a gaming device, especially in the case of pusher that are more about luck than skill to win tickets. With that in mind I am not aware of other states where pushers are illegal.

So why are they doing this? Kansas is not well known for being an anti-gambling state (that honor actually goes to where I live in Utah and arcades here can have coin-pushers) but when you dig into the story you’ll find that while Kansas is pulling a hard line on pushers, they are opening the door for casinos to move into the state. This means it’s likely that in pandering to what casinos want, which is less of what they perceive as competition from the arcade redemption sector, they targetted these machines specifically as they are the closest to blurring that line. Quite lame really as I am sure that the casinos will be able to make their money hand over fist even if every arcade place there had nothing but pushers on location.

And now for a great “WTH?” moment to start our week off. Arcades such as Dave & Busters and others who operate coin-pushing machines in the US state of Kansas have been forced to remove those machines from their locations as the state recently passed a law declaring such popular games as illegal gambling devices. We don’t follow redemption very often here but when it comes to games that can make tons of money for any arcade location, coin pushers are usually at the top of the list. This is also why such machines generally cost quite a bit to purchase in the first place, as they are guaranteed to make a lot of money. I personally don’t see the appeal behind them but having worked for an arcade in the past where we had several pushers, the earnings were always solid. Of course there are certain redemption games that blur the line between a gambling device and a gaming device, especially in the case of pusher that are more about luck than skill to win tickets. With that in mind I am not aware of other states where pushers are illegal.

So why are they doing this? Kansas is not well known for being an anti-gambling state (that honor actually goes to where I live in Utah and arcades here can have coin-pushers) but when you dig into the story you’ll find that while Kansas is pulling a hard line on pushers, they are opening the door for casinos to move into the state. This means it’s likely that in pandering to what casinos want, which is less of what they perceive as competition from the arcade redemption sector, they targetted these machines specifically as they are the closest to blurring that line. Quite lame really as I am sure that the casinos will be able to make their money hand over fist even if every arcade place there had nothing but pushers on location.

A few days ago we talked about a new arcade title out of China that Disney was involved with called Disney 3D Ping Pong. Since then we have heard of other games in Asia that are jumping on the stereoscopic 3D bandwagon – we knew of Metal Gear Arcade already and there was Star Predator. Kevin Williams of The Stinger Report told me of more developments happening in this area and it looks like they were revealed today. I came across some interesting news on Coinopexpress today which involves the same company who developed Disney 3D Ping Pong called 3D Group. Today the company revealed eight new video arcade products, all of which employ a 3D stereoscopic TV as well as touch screen play. The games are fitted for ticket play and there are several genres that the series covers which you’ll see below. There is no price on these yet but Coinopexpress does state that all of these games are available for sale.

The list of games includes: Balonga – a dance style controller but you fight monsters instead of just hit dance steps. (coinopexpress link)

Star Cube / Galaxy Puzzle – a puzzle game that sounds like a Rubik’s cube, but it employs the touch screen to move it around. I’d really like to see how that works out in practice with the 3D pop effect. (coinopexpress link)

So there you have it. 3D Group is really throwing down the proverbial 3D gauntlet but we’ll have to wait and see how well the trend catches on with other manufacturers in the industry. I’m in a wait and see mood about it – it’s hard to shake the feeling that the whole pop-out 3D thing is a gimmick as it has been in the past but technology in this area has improved quite a bit and sales of 3D movies like Avatar are nothing to sneeze at. The arcade sector does stand as a great place to introduce such technology to the masses as home consoles are really not in that position right now and even if they were, they would need the customer base to go out and buy 3D TVs which is a big ‘if’ for them to bank on. Of course it can be a big if for arcades to but where a couple of companies are trying it out, I am sure that everyone is going to take a hard look at how games like this perform. If the effect is cool and doesn’t require glasses (as some 3D TVs are supposed to do, I’ve never seen that effect in person) then it could be a great way to bring people into the arcade.

A few days ago we talked about a new arcade title out of China that Disney was involved with called Disney 3D Ping Pong. Since then we have heard of other games in Asia that are jumping on the stereoscopic 3D bandwagon – we knew of Metal Gear Arcade already and there was Star Predator. Kevin Williams of The Stinger Report told me of more developments happening in this area and it looks like they were revealed today. I came across some interesting news on Coinopexpress today which involves the same company who developed Disney 3D Ping Pong called 3D Group. Today the company revealed eight new video arcade products, all of which employ a 3D stereoscopic TV as well as touch screen play. The games are fitted for ticket play and there are several genres that the series covers which you’ll see below. There is no price on these yet but Coinopexpress does state that all of these games are available for sale.

The list of games includes: Balonga – a dance style controller but you fight monsters instead of just hit dance steps. (coinopexpress link)

Star Cube / Galaxy Puzzle – a puzzle game that sounds like a Rubik’s cube, but it employs the touch screen to move it around. I’d really like to see how that works out in practice with the 3D pop effect. (coinopexpress link)

So there you have it. 3D Group is really throwing down the proverbial 3D gauntlet but we’ll have to wait and see how well the trend catches on with other manufacturers in the industry. I’m in a wait and see mood about it – it’s hard to shake the feeling that the whole pop-out 3D thing is a gimmick as it has been in the past but technology in this area has improved quite a bit and sales of 3D movies like Avatar are nothing to sneeze at. The arcade sector does stand as a great place to introduce such technology to the masses as home consoles are really not in that position right now and even if they were, they would need the customer base to go out and buy 3D TVs which is a big ‘if’ for them to bank on. Of course it can be a big if for arcades to but where a couple of companies are trying it out, I am sure that everyone is going to take a hard look at how games like this perform. If the effect is cool and doesn’t require glasses (as some 3D TVs are supposed to do, I’ve never seen that effect in person) then it could be a great way to bring people into the arcade.

The development of video redemption games continues to deliver some interesting arcade games to our realm and we’ll be seeing more of these next week at the EAG Expo in London. ICE has just announced two of these titles, Robin Hood and Rok N’ Bloks. Where the software has been designed with ticket payouts in mind I’d say that it’s highly unlikely that we will see non-redemption versions of these games coming along but they are still worth mentioning.

The Robin Hood cabinet reminds me of the classic Exidy gameCrossbow – the funny thing about this is that Robin Hood wasn’t known for running around with a crossbow but I imagine that a bow and arrow controller would be a little too cubersome to have on a cabinet. The game itself is a shooting gallery title with a medieval theme.

Rok N’ Bloks appears to be a 3D variation on the Stacker games. The game uses a unique controller that has the player tilting a base to catch blocks that fall from above, stacking and balancing the blocks while attempting to reach certain win zones. You drop three blocks and the game is over – it’s simplistic and makes use of physics, which of course is pretty popular to use in games right now. I may not be a huge fan of redemption games (I know, I’m practically alone on that among arcade operators) but I like seeing ideas like this Rok N’ Bloks game as it’s trying something a little different.

Stay tuned to Arcade Heroes next week for a complete look at the EAG Expo!